Olympic
by Becca the fiend
Summary: One of them was the most graceful man in the whole of Japan. The other was one of the most dedicated. A chance meeting that changes them both. And it was all fated from the start. AU. Eventual DouWata. Rated for future chapters.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: xxxHolic isn't mine. Nor do I own the Olympic Games, or Japan. (How sad. xD)

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

He can feel the wind blowing past him as he increases his speed, preparing for the defining moment. He can almost taste the goal on his tongue, if he gets this down. He can feel the adrenaline rush as he reaches the appropriate speed for this stunt.

He gets to the perfect speed, and lifts himself into the air with a seeming ease. He spins once, twice, four times, and then touches the ground again for an instant, before once again taking off, this time with only three mid-air turns.

He lands flawlessly, and glides a little father, carried by his own momentum, before stopping in front of the table of judges. His competitors, the coaches, and the few spectators clap for his efforts, and he gives a modest bow to the audience, and the judges.

Said judges deliberate as he makes his way over to where his own coach stands, just behind the barrier. He is handed a bottle of sports drink, and he drinks from it while they wait.

Finally, after a few minutes, the judges call out his name, and he glides smoothly over to them, stopping before the table once again. He lowers his head in a slight bow of respect.

"Congratulations. You have been accepted to represent the nation of Japan in the upcoming Winter Olympic games. We expect to see you at the training camp in two weeks," they tell him.

"Thank you for the honor," he replies. Bowing, wearing a smile that doesn't quite reach his vivid, midnight-blue eyes, he accepts their verdict and leaves the rink.

He muses internally on the lack of joy he experiences, now that he is so much closer to achieving his lifelong dream.

**x.X.x**

He almost didn't attend the games this year. He didn't know anyone personally in the games this year, and tickets did cost quite a bit of money.

In the end, however, he decided to attend, more for a symbolic support of his home nation, which would be the host nation of this year's games, and of his fellow athletes. (The fact that they participated in different sports was immaterial, he figured. They were all athletes, at the end of the day, no matter what spot they called their own.)

He didn't know then that his choice would alter the course of fate for them both.

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

AN: So, this is a tentative new multi-chaptered story I'm starting. this was just the prologue, and the actual story will be a lot clearer, but what do you think so far? Does it seem sort of cool? Are you interested in it? Let me know, if you want me to continue. And constructive criticism is always appreciated. :)


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: xxxHolic and the Winter Olympic Games don't belong to me.

Watanuki's PoV

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

"Shit, shit, _shit_!"

I couldn't quite believe how late I was running. I mean, I'm _never_ late to _anything_! Well. I'm only human, so I guess I can't say that's entirely true, but that's beside the point. I _hate_ being late. It's very rude to be late, after all.

And it's probably my fault, too. I got maybe a little lost, and finding my way took longer than expected.

Which was why I wasn't paying much attention to the crowd as I hurried towards my destination. I paid more attention to the street signs and buildings, to make sure I was going the right way. (I didn't need to be later than I already was, okay?)

Suddenly, I ran into a very warm, and very solid, _something_, and found myself landing uncomfortably on the ground from the impact. Needless to say, I was extremely annoyed by this new development. I've rarely fallen over from tripping or running into something during the entirety of my life! (And no, my high school years don't count.) I'm _the_ Watanuki Kimihiro. I don't fall over. Period. Olympic level figure skaters are graceful, dammit.

Of course, I never said any of this aloud, and instead, I looked up to see just what it was I had run into. I was surprised to find a guy who looked to be about my age looking right back at me. Normally, I would've felt guilty about running into him, but for some reason, I felt the immediate and powerful urge to send a flying kick to the guy's head. Something about him just pissed me off.

Maybe it was the fact that he didn't seem to care that I'd fallen over, or that he was the cause of my humiliation. Or maybe it was because the guy (who seemed much more muscle-bound than me) looked like he wouldn't have noticed we'd collided, had I not fallen over directly in front of him.

Or maybe it was the guy's expression. It looked pretty smug and annoying, to me, anyway.

Despite all this, I managed to swallow most of my anger (that I felt was undeserved at the time) as I stood up, and forced myself to speak to this stranger.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going at all," I apologized, somehow schooling my expression into a smile.

At first, the guy, who shall henceforth be known as The Jerk, merely offered a "Hn" in response. but then, after a few moments, he spoke.

"Watch where you're going next time."

Without saying anything else, The Jerk left, and I couldn't help but watch him leave, my expression shocked.

_'How can someone be so rude?'_ I wondered.

I might've stayed there for a long time, had I not remembered I was supposed to be at Himawari-chan's. Swearing under my breath, I continued onward, my pace even more hurried than before.

Finally, I was arrived, and made my way towards the door, only to have it open when I was halfway there.

"Watanuki-kun! There you are! We were starting to get worried!" Himawari-chan called to me. I smiled at her.

"It's alright. I just got held up on my way here," I relied. Perhaps it was dishonest of me to not tell Himawari-chan the whole truth, but she would probably feel guilty if I told her I got lost. She was the one who gave me directions, after all, so she'd probably think she was terrible at giving directions. Obviously, I couldn't bring myself to make Himawari-chan feel bad like that. That would be far more cruel of me than to tell her I got lost on my way.

After all, it was alright now, wasn't it? I was there, and I was safe. Not knowing I was lost wouldn't cause trouble later, surely. Right?

As I entered the house, I saw Himawari-chan's fortune-teller grandmother and younger sister, Kohane-chan, standing just beyond the entryway. I smiled at the both of them as I removed my shoes politely.

"Hello, Kimihiro-kun. It's nice to see you again," grandmother greeted me.

"Ah yes, it's nice to see you, too! How have you been, Kohane-chan?"

"I've been fine."

Again, I was struck by how serious Himawari-chan's younger sister was. Technically, the two were not related by blood, as Kohane-chan had been adopted into the family many years ago. I suppose the circumstances of her adoption could cause her to be so serious, but it still caught me by surprise often. Most middle school students were not so somber.

But then again, most middle school students didn't have such an abusive mother as Kohane-chan had when she was much younger. I'm told that she was much more serious when she was first adopted, and has since learned to smile more often. I still can't imagine such a thing, honestly.

As Himawari-chan started to lead the way to the living room, her grandmother stayed near me.

"It seems as though you've met your destiny today, Kimihiro-kun. I'm very glad," she said to me with a knowing smile. Inexplicably, an image of The Jerk popped into mind at her words, but I shook it off. Himawari's grandmother was obviously referring to someone else. (Or perhaps some_thing_, I corrected myself.)

There was no way The Jerk was my "destiny." It wasn't like we were going to meet ever again, anyway. It was simply coincidence that I thought of The Jerk when my destiny was mentioned. After all, I already knew my destiny, and I'd already met it. I was well on my way to fulfilling my wish of becoming an Olympic gold medalist, and it wasn't like this guy could help me with that goal.

Surely, my destiny wasn't to be constantly pissed off, right?

I pushed these thoughts out of my head for the moment, convincing myself that The Jerk wasn't my destiny. The very idea was absurd, no matter what the painfully familiar voice in the back of my head was saying.

If only I hadn't been so naive...

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

**AN:** This chapter was edited from its original format, but it still contains the same information. I changed the narrating style, because this is easier for me. If you see some chapters in a different style, it's likely I haven't gotten around to editing them yet, so don't worry if that happens.

This is Watanuki's and Doumeki's first interaction, if that was unclear. Though I think I made it pretty obvious who "The Jerk" was. For the rest of the story, I'll be alternating between Doumeki and Watanuki as the narrator. I'll put a note at the beginning of each chapter saying who the narrator is, for you guys.

Also. I'm not an athlete. I know little about the Olympics. I can't ice skate. I'll do my best to keep things as accurate as possible, but do keep these things in mind if you see a mistake. I'll still try my hardest, though.

And now, review, please! It keeps me wanting to write more. See you all next time!


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: none of the characters mentioned in this story belong to me, they all belong to CLAMP. I only own the idea.

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

While a certain figure skater found it easy to forget his unfortunate encounter with the seemingly rude, rather stoic man, said stoic man had a hard time removing the fiery blue-eyed male from his mind. As Doumeki went about his business for the next two weeks, the thin man whom he had literally run into kept appearing in his thoughts, though, for what reason, Doumeki did not know.

There had been something about the other man's countenance that had captivated the archer, and something else kept nagging at the back of his mind, though every time Doumeki went to reach for it, it would slip away. Doumeki felt the other man as a puzzle, and he intended to solve it, should they meet again.

Though, the archer highly doubted they would meet again. Surely the encounter had only been by chance, and it was likely the other man had already forgotten him by now, so Doumeki tried his hardest to do the same.

It came as quite a surprise to the golden-eyed man when, two weeks after t heir initial encounter, the two men's paths collided, quite literally, once again.

It was the opening night of the Winter Olympics, and Doumeki had arrived early, out of habit. The stands were only about a third filled when he and his companions, a hot-tempered swordfighter by the name of Kurogane Youou, and a Taekwondo genius called Li Syaoran.

Not long after they had arrived, Doumeki excused himself to get some refreshments, and use the bathroom, mainly out of boredom, and lack of anything to contribute to the conversation. (His friends never minded this all that much. They all had slightly more serious personalities, anyway.) As Doumeki made his way through the thickening crowd of people, he felt something, or someone, run into his chest, and he looked down to see a familiar head of messy black hair stumbling back a few feet.

Doumeki felt his eyes widen slightly in shock as he watched the other man flailing to regain his balance, which, this time, he managed to recover in time before he landed on the ground again. Apparently, he hadn't been moving quite as fast as last time, Doumeki thought to himself idly.

The blue-eyed man looked up at the person he'd run into, and seemed to recognize Doumeki instantly, based on the flash of annoyance that played across his face when he saw the archer.

"You again, hm?" the skater asked, crossing his arms almost impatiently. Doumeki noticed a small badge of sorts on his jacket sleeve, and recognized it quickly as the identification for athletes representing Japan in the Olympics. Well _that_ was an interesting development.

"So, you're an athlete, then?" Doumeki asked, completely ignoring the other man's comment. Strangely enough, this seemed to irritate the blue-eyed man quite a bit.

"Yes, I'm an athlete, and if you don't mind, I'll have to be on my way," he snapped, moving onward with the clear intent of pushing past Doumeki, whether he was in the way or not.

"Good luck," Doumeki said as the blue-eyed man passed his shoulder. For a moment, this seemed to stop the man, who Doumeki noticed belatedly was devoid of his glasses, in his tracks.

"Thank you..." the man replied hesitantly, doubt laced heavily throughout his voice. And with that, the skater disappeared from Doumeki's life once again.

Doumeki eventually purchased the refreshments he'd left his seat to get, and returned to his friends to find them deep in conversation about the athletes competing in the games this year.

"I've heard a lot about that person," Syaoran was saying as Doumeki took his seat, "he's supposed to be the best male figure skater in all of Japan. A lot of people who've seen him perform say they've never seen anything like it."

"I've heard that too," Kurogane replied," but he's rumored to be a weirdo when he's off the ice. He's also pretty notorious for his temper, and OCD-like tendencies."

"That could be true, I mean, no one's perfect. But I hear he's pretty popular with the girls, and quite a few guys, too. A lot of people say it's because of his pale complexion, and his natural blue eyes. They say he looks almost feminine at times. I think they said he usually wears glasses, but puts on contacts for performances."

At this point, Doumeki chose to cut in, feeling like he knew who this person was that they were talking about.

"Who?" Doumeki asked Syaoran.

"Oh, his name is Watanuki Kimihiro. Have you heard of him?" the brunette replied earnestly.

"No," Doumeki replied in his usual monotone. Syaoran shrugged, and turned back to Kurogane, noticing that his friend had slipped deep into thought at his answer.

'_Watanuki Kimihiro,_' Doumeki tossed the name about in his mind, along with the mystery man from earlier. If they were one and the same, this was bound to get even more interesting. Doumeki noticed, with a jolt that he was, for the first time in a long time, actually getting into something besides archery.

This Mystery Man, Watanuki Kimihiro, was definitely turning into an enigma, and Doumeki was determined to figure him out. A Doumeki never stepped down from a challenge, once he'd accepted.

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

AN: And here we introduce a few more characters! This won't be the last of the characters introduced from Tsubasa, and there will definitely be more Holic characters coming your way. And there may be character from other series, but Tsubasa and Holic are the only ones for now, hahaha. As an interesting note, I chose Taekwondo for Syaoran because Wikipedia told me it uses a lot of kicking techniques, and Syaoran does love to kick people. So.. yeah, Taekwondo. Haha.

I like this chapter much more than the last one. Now the Olympics themselves are coming into play, as is Watanuki's apparent reputation. (And girlish looks, lol.) The next chapter or two will probably not have any interaction between the two, because I want to set up a bit more of Watanuki and Doumeki's backgrounds and show a bit more of their relationships with their friends and whatnot. But hopefully that won't last too long, hahaha. I'm also liking the switching of narrators between Doumeki and Watanuki between chapters. What do you guys think?

Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/faved/alerted this so far. You guys are great! :3 Don't forget to tell me what you thought about this chapter, too.

Until next time~


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine. ;_;

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

"Watanuki-kun looks cheerful today!"

The figure skater glared at his nearly hyper-active coach, choosing to not answer the man's falsely pleasant exclamation. Unfortunately, this did not deter the older skater at all.

"So, what's been bothering you this time?" the coach asked, keeping up the cheery facade. Watanuki sighed exasperatedly before answering.

"It's nothing, Fai-sensei. Just some guy I keep running into," he explained, not elaborating that he was speaking literally. He rather liked his dignity, when he was able to keep it, thank you very much. Besides, the older man enjoyed teasing him enough regularly. He didn't need to add fuel to _that_ fire.

Despite his vague annoyance at his coach's personality at times, Watanuki did have a large amount of respect for the older man. After all, he was being taught by the one and only Fai D. Fluorite, who had taken home three gold medals in males figure skating, before retiring in order to coach aspiring Olympians. Now, at 32 years old, the blonde man had helped Watanuki reach the place where he was now, and the younger man was grateful for it, even if he didn't always show it.

"Oh my, is Watanuki-kun getting flustered over some boy~? I think I smell young love!" Fai giggled, teasing his charge mercilessly.

"Shut up."

With that, Watanuki stood up, having finished lacing up his skated, and made his way onto the ice, doing a few warm-up exercises before starting practice.

The truth of the matter was, though, that Watanuki had found it much harder this time to forget that golden-eyed man. Something about the stranger infuriated him to no end, but, at the same time, something else he couldn't place lingered at the back of his mind. Which, of course, brought him only more irritation. As a result, the skater had woken up in a much fouler mood than usual.

Luckily for him, though, the taller man allowed himself to be pushed from the skater's thoughts once his skates touched the ice. Watanuki took this as a small solace, that the ice still allowed him to escape, if only for a little bit. It was the one thing that kept him going, above all else.

After he finished warming up, Watanuki spent a couple hours practicing, before deciding he was done for the day, and proceeded to do the standard cool-down exercises, and finally making it off the ice.

He sat down on the bench, and, as he was removing his skates, he heard someone approach him. Without looking up, he knew who it was, and greeted the person accordingly.

"Hello, Himawari-chan."

"Hello, Watanuki-kun. Are you done with your practice?"

Watanuki, having finished removing his skates, looked up at the woman with a bright smile on his features.

"Yeah! I just finished up here," he replied, carefully placing his skates in their bag, and starting to put on his nearby sneakers.

"That's great!" the curly-haired woman said with a smile. "Um, will you be there to watch my short program tomorrow evening?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it!" Watanuki answered his fellow figure skater enthusiastically.

"Great! I'll see you later then!"

The woman left with a radiant smile, and Fai, who had been off in the background, appeared next to his pupil.

"I ought to be going now, too, Watanuki-kun," the man said, placing a hand on the younger's shoulder, "or else Kuro-chan will get worried. I'll see you tomorrow for practice."

"Right. See you tomorrow, Fai-sensei!" Watanuki called out after the retreating form of his coach. With a sigh, he lifted his bag, and made his own way out of the arena, to his lodgings for the duration of the Olympics.

For the moment, he anticipated seeing his friend's routine, not knowing just yet what the next day would bring.

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

AN: And here's chapter 3! I don't know if there's an honorfic specifically for coaches, but I figured that sensei could also be applicable, since coaches are sort of teaching the person/people they coach, in a way. Or they at least serve as a form of mentor. That makes it appropriate-ish, right?

Yes, Watanuki is being coached by Fai. I thought it kind of fit. I mean.. Fai's graceful when he wants to be, I'm sure, and he _did_ grow up in a cold climate, so.. I mean, it's kind of like paying a tribute to his canon past! Yeah! xD (Also, yes, the Kuro-chan he's referring to is, in fact, Kurogane. But you probably already knew that, if you read Tsubasa.)

This was a kind of short chapter. :/ Hopefully, the next one will be a little longer, and very possibly a small interaction between our favorite heroes. Are you excited? I know I am. xD It will hopefully come later this week, but I'm not sure. I'm going to a convention this Saturday, so I can buy stuff. (Like DouWata yoai, heeheehee.)

Don't forget to tell me what you thought! And thanks to everyone who's read, faved, alerted, and reviewed this so far. You guys rock!


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the idea.

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

Not long after arriving home after the opening ceremonies, Doumeki had set about investigating this Watanuki Kimihiro person. He was quite pleased to discover that the man he'd become so captivated with and the figure skater were, in fact, one and the same. Of course, he'd strongly suspected this beforehand, but Doumeki was a person who preferred to be absolutely certain about something before taking any action.

Of course, just knowing that the two men were the same was not enough to satiate the archer's surprisingly potent curiosity. So, Doumeki continued his research.

Most of what the man managed to find was general information, such as birth date, the name of his parents, his birthplace, and whatnot. However, in the midst of his search, Doumeki did happen to find a piece of information that perked his interest immediately.

According to the website, the figure skater had been selected to represent Japan in the Winter Olympics four years prior. However, a few months before the games were to be held, the man, just a boy at the time, had gotten into an accident that was thankfully not too serious. However, there had been worries about the boy's sanity for a time following the accident. Because of this, the boy was removed from the team, based on the thought that the stress had been too much for the teen to handle. Since then, the site explained, the skater had become slightly more recluse, but never had another relapse of suspected insanity, despite his eccentricities.

The site was not specific in its telling of this story, and the event was mentioned almost as an afterthought, but it still stood out vividly to Doumeki. He had a feeling that there was a whole lot more to the story than anyone knew, aside from Watanuki himself. And not just because of the vagueness of the site.

Strangely enough, Doumeki did not see any more mention of this particular incident, and he had a feeling that it wasn't a coincidence.

Eventually, Doumeki decided that he'd learned enough from his search, and would promptly set about learning the rest from the blue-eyed man himself. after all, there was no source more reliable for learning more intimate facts about a person than the person themselves.

Luckily, though, Doumeki had no figured out a way to meet the skater once again, having come across the knowledge in his search that Watanuki had often been seen in the company of fellow figure skater Himawari Kunogi.

Doumeki figured that, if Watanuki was like any normal person, he'd want to support his friend by watching her skate. Or, there was also the possibility that Watanuki was a complete jerk, and was merely pretending to be friends with the woman, and would only show up at her performance to wish her ill. Doumeki rather thought it was more likely to be the first scenario, but, either way, the man would probably be at the event. So, Doumeki was going to go, too. Simple as that.

In the end, Doumeki ended up tagging along with Syaoran and his girlfriend, Sakura, to the event. The archer had bought his own ticket, but Sakura had suggested going to the venue all together, though they had different seats. Doumeki obliged rather easily. Personally, he wouldn't have cared much, either way, but Sakura was an extremely kind woman, and it seemed almost wrong to say no to one of her simple requests. Besides, it wasn't like she and Syaoran made other people feel like third wheels to their romance. Doumeki rather liked that. It was annoying when couples constantly ignored everyone else in favor of each other. (Though Doumeki could manage when things like that were kept to a minimum.)

Regardless, Doumeki quickly parted ways with his friends when they arrived at the venue, giving a vague excuse about making sure he knew where his seat was. Truthfully, the archer wanted to try and find the man who'd taken up the majority of his thoughts for the past fortnight or so, but he figured no one needed to know that just yet.

Somehow, Doumeki found his body moving towards his seat on its own, and he just decided to go along with it. IT probably wouldn't be a bad idea to find his seat before he started his search, anyway.

As he approached his seat, he noticed his neighbor for the performance. Messy black hair, pale skin, and a slim build. The man turned as Doumeki approached, and familiar, vividly midnight blue eyes met his own gold. The other man's expression dropped for a second, before rapidly forming into annoyance as Doumeki took his seat.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

AN: And here we have the introduction into these two's next interaction. Who else is excited? I know I am! xD And here, a teaser of Watanuki's past is added. It creates tension nicely, no? Also, in case anyone was worried, the Tsubasa pairings mentioned in here will not become a major part of the plot, so, if you don't particularly like the pairings, don't worry. It really won't be all that important to the plot, in the long run.

This chapter was kind of hard to get out. But it wasn't much interaction between these two, so I guess that's why. Haha. I sure did ramble a lot, though...

Anyway, I wanted to get this out tonight, because tomorrow I'll be spending the majority of my day at MegaCon in Orlando, Florida. If you're going, feel free to come up and say hi! I'll be in either a Three Days Grace shirt, or a Cobra Starship shirt, and I'll probably have my gray leopard print jacket on, too. So, yeah, come talk to me if you're wandering around the showroom tomorrow, and you see me. Though do explain who you are if you do, so I don't think random strangers are coming up to speak to me randomly. Lol. I mean, I won't be in costume, so I'm sure I'd be utterly baffled as to why someone wanted to talk to me like that, if it wasn't explained to me. Haha.

Other than that, I'm going to try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, but I am a busy girl, so I don't know when I'll get the chance. I'll try my hardest to get it out this weekend, but we'll see. Don't forget to tell me what you thought about this chapter. And thanks to everyone who's favorited, reviewed, or alerted this story so far. You guys make my day, seriously. Love and internet cookies to all of you!


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine. :(

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Watanuki couldn't believe that, of all people, that irritating man with the intense golden eyes was the person who'd be sitting next to him today. The venue had thousands of seats, and just as many occupants. Surely, the chances of the one person Watanuki already knew he wouldn't like sitting next to being able to buy tickets that just so happened to be next to him were pretty close to zero. Yet, here he was.

It almost reminded Watanuki of something he'd been told many times, a long time ago, but he shook that thought off as soon as it appeared. He didn't need to be reminded of _her_ right now. It would only turn out as another disaster, like last time...

Of course, the other man had been completely unperturbed by the skater's outburst, and was taking his seat as calmly as he did everything else. But Watanuki knew better. He could _feel_ the mental smirk from the other man, and, obviously, it irritated him greatly.

"Must you be so smug?" Watanuki finally snapped, glaring fiercely at his unwelcome companion. The archer merely raised an eyebrow at the smaller man, mocking him silently. The skater seethed. Sighing, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten slowly in his head to calm down. Once that had been completed, Watanuki opened his eyes, and turned to the familiar stranger.

"Well, since it seems we run into each other everywhere, it's only polite to be introduced. I'm Watanuki Kimihiro," the skater said, his voice still laced with annoyance. He bowed enough so that he was polite, but no more than necessary. It wasn't his fault that the other man annoyed him now, was it? (Actually, it probably was, but it's not like Watanuki thought of it that way.)

"Doumeki Shizuka," the archer replied flatly, inclining his head barely in response. Watanuki couldn't help but notice a lingering sense in the other man's countenance that he had already known Watanuki's name between their last meeting and this meeting. He tried to keep it from getting to him as best he could. He was, after all, more of a public figure now, and this wasn't an occurrence that could only be attributed to the man next to him.

Of course, Watanuki was still annoyed, but hey, it wasn't like he was perfect. He was a human being, you know.

"So. What brings you to this event, Doumeki-san?" Watanuki asked after a moment of silence, forcing the '-san' past his lips reluctantly. "You don't seem like the type to be all that into figure skating."

Doumeki shrugged in response, gaze fixated intently on Watanuki.

"It's alright," the man offered. Watanuki, for once, said nothing in response, instead raising a skeptical eyebrow. He wondered what the real reason behind the man's appearance at this event was, and was given such a fanciful answer by his imagination that he immediately dismissed it.

From what the skater could see, this Doumeki guy probably attracted a lot of women due to his "silent nature," "intensity," and "good looks." (Watanuki had to keep himself from scoffing at this.) The very idea that this man would come here simply for _him_ was absurd. Right? I mean, it wasn't like the two knew each other all that much, and Watanuki's previous stalkers tended to lay low for a while, before professing their "undying love" for him and whatnot. Or, you know, they tried to corner him and rape him, but Watanuki preferred not to think about that. Anyway, this guy clearly didn't intend to do either of those things, (yet, at least), so Watanuki reasoned he couldn't be here for him.

Maybe this guy had a crush on one of the female figure skaters, despite neutral feelings towards the sport? Watanuki hoped the guy wasn't stalking Himawari-chan, if that was so. It was obvious Doumeki was of Japanese descent, and he spoke the language like a native. So he'd probably know more of his own country's representatives than another's. Though there was always the chance that the man had some creepy crush on some other woman, too.

Watanuki shook his head lightly. The other man's reasons for being here were none of his business. Besides, he shouldn't really be making assumptions about this guy he barely knew. If the guy showed obvious signs of being a creepy stalker, _then_ Watanuki could worry. But now, the guy seemed perfectly normal, if not entirely infuriating, so there was no reason to worry.

Again, Watanuki shook off these thoughts. Mental rambling was kind of rude, after all, and there had been quite a silence between him and Doumeki while he had gone off on his mind tangent.

Luckily, though, Watanuki was saved from having to make more conversation by the start of the event. The first skater - a foreigner - was an alright athlete, in Watanuki's opinion, but the routine needed a little bit more to make it truly outstanding. But Watanuki didn't write her off as a non-threat to Himawari for the gold just yet. This was, of course, only the short program, and she did have the potential to do something amazing in the long program.

Next came Himawari, who did extremely well. Of course, Watanuki knew he was a little biased in this regard, but the crowd seemed to largely agree with him when she finished, and there was a loud roar of approval from the crowd. the scores were almost perfect, too, which was great. Watanuki felt a smile work its way across his face as pride for his friends rushed through him.

Doumeki seemed to notice this, as well, for he took the opportunity to instigate conversation with the blue-eyed man.

"Do you know her?" the archer asked, inclining his head slightly towards the curly-haired skater.

"Yeah. We're close friends," Watanuki replied, crossing his arms across his chest with a sudden feeling of defensiveness. He tried to ignore it. There was no reason for it, really.

"Hn," was all Doumeki offered in reply as the next competitor took the ice.

For the next couple hours, the two engaged in slightly disconnected conversation in between performances and score announcements, though mostly about trivial things. It turned out that Doumeki had been an Olympian in the previous summer Olympics, as an archer, and had won the gold medal. (Which he was rather modest about, much to Watanuki's surprise.) The two men were also apparently the same age, with only a month's difference between them. (Doumeki was born in march, and Watanuki in April.)

Watanuki left the experience feeling rather strange. On one hand, Doumeki was annoying, but, on the other, the skater had almost... enjoyed himself, in an odd sort of way. It was weird, and extremely confusing, and Watanuki vowed to shrug it off. After all, it wasn't like they'd meet again, right? Doumeki hadn't really seemed to be paying all that much attention to the figure skating, and he had flat-out said it was "alright." Surely, even if the taller man did come to the next event, they wouldn't be seated next to one another. The chances of that happening were impossible, really.

If only Watanuki had known the power of a determined Doumeki.

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

AN: And here's chapter 5. I'm working on getting the chapters to be longer, because I really don't like how short they are. This seems to be a bit better. It was about 1,200ish words before the author's note and disclaimer. Haha. Eventually, I'm gonna go back and fix the earlier chapters, too, to make them longer. Except the prologue, because I want that to be short, haha. But I don't know when I'll do that just yet.

Um, other than that. Yay! They interacted more! And I'm trying to build a bit more suspense. Who is the "her" that Watanuki referred to? That's for me to know, and you to find out.. later! Though, I can say one thing about later, and that's the fact that there's going to be a Blades of Glory reference in the near-ish future. Because that is one of my favorite movies. Of all time. And as a hint, no one in the story is a sex addict. xD

And now I've rambled too much. Hope you all enjoyed! Don't forget to tell me what you thought. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or alerted this story so far. You guys are great! Until next time!


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: xxxHolic isn't mine. :(

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

Doumeki had never been a man to live his life according to 'fate.' Sure, he had been taught to never underestimate the power of fate, but he had also been taught to never let fate drive his life entirely. Fate and his own decisions influenced one another equally, he had been told, and he did not doubt these words at all.

Which was why, for the first time ever, Doumeki had used his influence as an Olympic gold medalist to secure a seat next to a certain male skater at the women's long program. Though a series of calling in favors and bargains that Doumeki was quite sure were a bit corrupt, he managed to achieve his goal.

Normally, Doumeki would not have resorted to such measures, but he was intent on getting to know the enigma man better, and he wasn't going to leave everything up to fate a second time. He had been lucky for the last couple encounters, but he knew it was unwise to trust that luck would always be by his side. Everything had to be in balance, his grandfather had said, and surely this was no exception.

Doumeki had been mildly relieved to find that the seat he was taking had not been previously occupied. Not that he would've left the matter as it was if that had been the case, but at least now he didn't have to make negotiations for that other person to get a decent seat to make up for the seat he or she would have lost. After all, Doumeki wasn't heartless. Just... very thorough.

In any case, Doumeki had gotten his desired seat, and was making what he considered good progress in his more long-term goal of getting to know Watanuki better. He chose to ignore the small voice in his head that told him he was being a borderline stalker. It wasn't exactly stalking if you actually had a conversation with the person you were (not) stalking. Really.

Once again, Doumeki shook off the thought, and set about the day's activities. He was a busy man, after all.

.x

Hours later, when Doumeki was making his way to his seat, he discovered how frighteningly easy it was becoming for him to locate the figure skater in a large crowd. And only from the back of his head, too. He decided he ought to dedicate some more time to that particular train of thought later.

Doumeki noticed, as he approached his seat, that Watanuki was engaged in a conversation with the people sitting on his other side. Apparently, he knew them pretty well. Of course, Doumeki decided he was going ot interrupt them and announce his presence anyway. And this time, he would quite willingly admit it was because he wanted to see Watanuki's reaction. It was bound to be pretty entertaining.

"Oi."

Watanuki's expression was priceless as the man whipped his head around to face the newcomer. It was a perfect mixture of shock, outrage, and disbelief. Doumeki tried to fight back a smirk, and failed, which prompted a verbal reaction from the volatile skater.

"Again?! Jeez, are you following me, or something?" the blue-eyed man exclaimed, glaring at the archer. Said archer chose not to reply. He needn't confirm Watanuki's suspicions after all, and denying the fact would be lying. Even Doumeki could see that.

Of course, this seemed to further annoy the skater, as he bristled (in a manner quite similar to a cat, Doumeki noted absently), and addressed the taller man once again.

"Answer people when they ask you a question, you big oaf!" Watanuki hissed, poking Doumeki threateningly in the chest. The archer bit back a laugh. Riling up the other man was far too amusing.

Before the exchange could continue, however, there came a pointed clearing of the throat from behind Watanuki.

"Well, you two seem to get along so well. Won't you introduce us to your friend, Watanuki-kun?"

The skater turned back to his other seat neighbors, his expression barely changing.

"Friend? Pah, he's not my friend. We just keep running into each other," Watanuki said with an air of denial. The two females he'd turned to didn't seem to believe him in the slightest. Doumeki immediately felt that he'd like them. How curious.

"Even so, it's very impolite not introduce oneself to a stranger," the old woman whom Watanuki had been talking to admonished. She smiled kindly at Doumeki, and bowed slightly at him.

"I am Kunogi Himawari's grandmother, and this is my other granddaughter, Kohane," the woman explained, gesturing to the relatively quiet girl next to her. Kohane bowed at the archer, her expression abnormally solemn. Doumeki bowed respectfully back at the two women.

"Doumeki Shizuka," he stated simply.

"It's very nice to meet you, Doumeki-kun. You are related to Haruka Doumeki, no doubt. He was a friend of mine. A very nice man. You look very much like him."

Doumeki nodded at the old woman, his expression never betraying the slight shock he felt at the woman's words.

"He was my grandfather."

"I see. Well, I'm sure he's proud of the man you have become," the old woman said with a smile.

This time, Doumeki didn't respond, instead marveling at the sudden peace he felt. It was if a part of him had been uneasy all this time, and he hadn't even known it. It was quite strange, indeed.

Doumeki was saved from the need to come up with more conversation when the first skater stepped out onto the ice. Doumeki noticed right away that it was, in fact, Kunogi-san who was now making her way gracefully to the middle of the rink.

The body of her costume was a crimson red, and decorated with gold swirls that crossed her torso much like a pageant sash, which continued onto the back. The sleeves were cap sleeves, and the front neckline was modest, while the back was open, revealing skin all the way down to the middle of her spine. The fabric of the torso was primarily a velvety looking fabric, while the skirt was much clearly a lighter fabric. Unusually, the skirt seemed to be the exact same color as the torso, despite being a different fabric. To top it all off, the woman's hair was in a modest bun, though Doumeki was pretty sure most of the pictures he had found depicted her with long, curly hair. It was probably easier to skate with it in an up-do, Doumeki figured (though he wouldn't know from experience).

Even as someone who knew little about figure skating, Doumeki could tell that the woman's performance was rather spectacular. Of course, he still maintained his calm and almost bored appearance, as he hardly knew anything about this woman and figure skating, but he did allow himself to clap a little louder and longer than manners necessitated.

After all, he did have respect for any good performance, especially if it was something he could not do himself. (He'd tried ice skating once, when he was younger. It hadn't turned out well, and he had stuck to archery. Doumeki men were more sturdy and steadfast than elegant and graceful, apparently.)

Doumeki did not fail to notice Watanuki's own exuberant reaction to the woman's performance, and the almost brotherly pride he held in his eyes. Something in the archer suddenly had the urge to reach out and touch the skater, to hold him close, and say something romantic in a Doumeki way (because cheesy was not something he thought he could pull off). Doumeki suppressed this urge very quickly, wondering why it had appeared, and where it had come from.

A thought, just a sudden as the strange urge, sped across Doumeki's mind that, perhaps, he might be attracted to this slim man. He tucked it away for now, deciding that there would be time to dwell on it later.

Thing were definitely starting to get interesting.

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

AN: I'm getting better at this 'longer chapter' thing. This one was about 1,300ish before the disclaimer/author's note. Hooray! Lolol. I will be trying to get the next chapter up by the end of the week, because it amuses me. xD But I also want to get the earlier chapters to be longer, so we'll see how that goes.

Don't forget to tell me what you thought! Even if I don't reply, I read every review I get! And don't be afraid to give _constructive_ criticism. It helps me a lot. :) Thanks to everyone who has favorited, read, reviewed, and alerted this fic so far. You guys are awesome! :3

See you all next chapter~


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: xxxHolic isn't mine, and neither is _Blades of Glory_, or the Olympics. Though I do own a DVD of _Blades of Glory_...

NOTE: If you have not seen the last chapter, I advise you do so. It was replaced recently, but FanFiction doesn't send out emails for that, so.. yeah. Read that one first, then read this. If you've already seen the full version of the last chapter, then continue on your merry way with this one. :)

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

As per usual, Watanuki was feeling rather relaxed as he let himself glide over the ice. It had been harder for him to focus today, a problem that was quickly remedied by closing his eyes. His mind was pleasantly clear as he began making his way towards the coach's area, opening his eyes as he drew nearer.

What Watanuki saw when he finally opened his eyes shocked him so badly, his face met the ice in a decidedly ungraceful (and admittedly painful) manner. Leaning against the barrier next to his coach was one Doumeki Shizuka, whom Watanuki had assumed he wouldn't run into for a while, if ever again. (Clearly, he had been quite wrong.)

It seemed that Fai and Doumeki had been engaged in conversation, though now both men were looking at Watanuki, who was still laying on the ice. Fai unsuccessfully tried to hide a laugh behind his hand, whilst Doumeki merely raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Was that part of your routine?" the man asked, his voice laced with hidden amusement.

Watanuki leapt up at this, starting to shout something along the lines of; "of course not, you stupid oaf!" However, his actions did not sit well with the relatively frictionless surface he was now on, and he ended up falling once again, this time landing quite heavily on his backside. Fai didn't even bother to hide his laugh this time, and even Doumeki smirked at the spastic skater.

"Ow," Watanuki muttered to himself, before sending a withering glare at the other men. Neither seemed all that perturbed by it, and ignored it altogether.

Carefully, the figure skater got to his feet, and made his way off the ice, clearly trying to avoid another embarrassing fall. He would've liked to retain at least _some_ of his dignity, after all.

Once he'd safely deposited himself on the bench in order to change into his sneakers (for better balance, obviously), Fai placed himself next to his charge, grinning slyly.

"That was quite the fall you had back there, Watanuki-kun. I haven't seen you get so worked up in _ages_. And surely I haven't seen you fall in twice that time~!"

"Shut up," Watanuki hissed, his face reddening from a mixture of embarrassment and irritation. He directed his irritation at the silent Doumeki, glaring at the archer for a second time that day.

"You. What are you doing here? And how did you know where to find me?" Watanuki asked harshly. Doumeki shrugged nonchalantly.

"I asked," he explained, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"Watanuki-kun," Fai interjected, "you never told me that you knew _the_ Doumeki Shizuka. I mean, he even went through all the trouble to come and find you here. You two must be close~. And here I thought you trusted me enough to tell me these things." He sighed, placing a hand over his heart, and acting as though he were deeply hurt by his pupil's actions. The grin he wore gave him away, however.

"We are not _close_."

"Oh, I get it. I'll leave you two _alone_ then. I ought to be heading home, anyway. It was nice meeting you, Doumeki-kun. See you tomorrow, Watanuki-kun~! Don't get carried away, now!"

With that, Fai winked not-so-subtly at his charge, and swept away, leaving silence in his wake. Watanuki pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. Great. After a few moments, he directed his attention back to the archer, who still stood by the barrier with his arms crossed coolly.

"Why are you here again?" Watanuki asked tersely.

"Do you want to get Snow Cones later?" Doumeki countered bluntly. Watanuki blinked, a bit taken aback. He was going over reasons why he should say no as he replied.

"Ugh. Sure."

Watanuki froze, shocked at his own unexpected answer. Doumeki, however, seemed as impassive as usual at the skater's answer. Almost as if he had expected it, the arrogant bastard.

"I'll pick you up at 7:30, then," he said, leaving abruptly.

Watanuki watched him go, still reeling from his answer. After a few moments, he shook it off, and stood up to leave, as well. It was only Snow Cones, after all.

**x.X.x**

Doumeki knocked on Watanuki's door at exactly 7:25 sharp, crushing the skater's hopes that perhaps it was all a joke, or a dream. (though, for some odd reason, a very small part of him wasn't all that disappointed. Watanuki chalked it up to the stress levels of being expected to perform at the Olympics. Even for the most calm and collected people, it was a bit nerve-wracking, after all.)

With a scowl set on his face, Watanuki opened the door, and left his lodgings, making sure the door was locked behind him, before actually addressing the stoic archer.

"Where are we even going, anyway?" he questioned.

"Someplace I used to go to often when I was little," Doumeki answered calmly. Watanuki's expression softened in curiosity, but he didn't question the archer further. It probably wouldn't get him anywhere, anyway.

The rest of the short walk was spent with idle chatter, mostly from a complaining Watanuki, while Doumeki chose his speech more carefully. When they arrived at their destination, Watanuki was rather surprised.

In front of them was a small park, currently covered in a blanket of strangely pure snow, with ice sculptures tastefully scattered throughout the landscape, and a small stand near the center, which Watanuki assumed was the Snow Cone stand. It was a strange place for Doumeki to be, Watanuki thought. But then again, he really didn't know all that much about the archer much, did he? (Watanuki dutifully ignored the part of him that was saddened by this revelation.)

The two made their way to the stand in relative silence, as Watanuki was too caught up in admiring the park. (Doumeki watched him all the while, though Watanuki never noticed.) The silence was only broken once the two ordered their Snow Cones (Watanuki's was red, and Doumeki's was blue), and sat down on a nearby bench.

"You said you've been here as a child?" Watanuki inquired, still not quite believing the fact.

"My grandfather and I used to spend a lot of time here together," Doumeki explained. "He and I were very close. He taught me archery."

"Oh? And your parents?"

"We weren't quite as close. They had to take care of the shrine when my grandfather retired."

"You grew up in a shrine? Wow..."

The two fell silent for a few moments, Watanuki considering all he'd just learned. Somehow, it seemed.. fitting for what he knew of Doumeki. He had to admit, he was rather curious now, but he chose not to pry. It was kind of rude, and Doumeki was being surprisingly bearable tonight. After a short silence, Watanuki spoke up.

"I never really knew any of my relatives. My parents were both only children, and they died when I was little. I've been living on my own since then," Watanuki offered. Somehow, he felt like it was necessary to do this, despite his general lack of knowledge about the other man. It was almost frightening.

Watanuki turned to face the archer, finding a golden gaze fixed intently on him. Watanuki felt his breathing hitch slightly, as the world seemed to fade away for a moment. He found the distance between them starting to close, and his eyelids were suddenly very, very heavy.

Suddenly, Doumeki blinked, and pulled back, shifting his focus to the icy treat in front of him. Watanuki, after a few moments, did the same, mind reeling. He wasn't sure what had brought it on, but he knew enough to guess what would've come next.

The only question was, why did he want to kiss Doumeki, of all people?

**x.X.x**

The rest of the evening passed somewhat awkwardly, and rather quietly. the walk back to Watanuki's hotel room was considerably quieter than the trip to the park, both men rather wrapped up in their thoughts.

"Uhm. Thanks for tonight... Er... I guess I'll see you around," Watanuki said once they arrived at his room, finding the silence to be a bit too much by then.

"Right."

As Watanuki watched Doumeki leave, it occurred to him that he had never actually told the archer where he had been staying.

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

AN: In case anyone was wondering, Doumeki did use his influence as a gold medalist to find out Watanuki's hotel room and where he practiced. I mean, surely, he wouldn't be beyond that when Watanuki was involved. xD And this chapter was the reference to _Blades of Glory_ I mentioned a while back. Snow Cones! Because that fit in with the plot pretty well. xD Though, if you guys would like me to, I could write an extra chapter with Doumeki as a sex addict. Because the idea surely amuses other people besides me, right?

Anyway. I'm sorry this took a while. The beginning of this gave me trouble, and I was busy, and then I had a brief creative block on this. But I like the final result. Watanuki falling twice amuses me so much. You have no idea. xD That part is my favorite. Haha.

thanks to everyone who has favorited/reviewed this so far. You guys are so awesome! And don't forget to tell me what you thought about this chapter. It gives me creativity to write more. :3


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: xxxHolic and the Olympics aren't mine.

Doumeki's PoV

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

I never really put much thought to who I would be "destined" to when I was younger. Not that I didn't have people I was somewhat attracted to. But it was just something I was told would happen. So I didn't waste my time dwelling on it. I'd cross that bridge when I got to it, so to speak.

"...meki."

Despite this, I was still surprised that Watanuki seemed to be the person my grandfather had spoken about all those years ago. He was all of the things that usually annoyed me. He was loud, he was stupid, he was rash. And yet...

"Oi! Doumeki!"

I blinked as I was pulled out of my thoughts, my companions sliding back into focus. They looked concerned.

"Hn?"

"You were staring into space for the past half hour. He tried to get your attention for a good ten minutes," Kurogane explained, motioning towards Syaoran. Oh. So that's why they were worried.

"Is everything okay, Doumeki-kun? You've been very out of it today," Syaoran questioned. I knew he was sincere in his concern, but somehow, I knew I shouldn't be dragging my friends into my dealings with Watanuki just yet. I didn't know why, but I just knew it was an instinct I should follow.

"It's nothing," I lied. Though I'm sure my face betrayed little emotion, I could tell Syaoran wasn't convinced. Not that I expected him to be. That's just how he was.

I was saved from any further questioning by the arrival of a loud flash of blue that latched itself to Kurogane with an overjoyed shout of "Kuro-tan~!"

"Idiot. Get off!" he growled, struggling with the thin person that had seen fit to tackle-hug him. He wasn't trying all that hard, it seemed, especially when the person giggled. The new arrival soon bored of what he clearly thought of as a game, and removed himself from Kurogane's person languidly, somehow reminding me of a cat.

"Kuro-sama is so mean! Didn't he miss me at all?" the blonde man faked sadness, smiling as he brushed himself off.

As the man turned to face us, I immediately recognized him as Watanuki's coach. I was surprised for only a moment. Kurogane had not made it a secret that he was going out with another man, though the name of this person had never been brought up. (Though that was because Kurogane rarely used names to refer to people in general.) Syaoran had met him previously, but I had not, at that point.

"Good afternoon, Syaoran-kun. Oh! Doumeki-kun, it's nice to see you again."

"Good afternoon Fai-san," Syaoran replied. I merely nodded in greeting.

"Oh, that reminds me! Watanuki-kun was planning to find you, Doumeki-kun. He said he needed to ask you something. I was just walking with him and Himawari-chan here. He shouldn't be too far away. I think you could still catch him," Fai explained with a kind smile.

"Thanks," I said, my mind far ahead of my actions as I stood abruptly. I mumbled an indistinct goodbye before making my way out of the cafe as quickly as possible. In the back of the mind, I imagined my friends coming to the easy conclusion that this was what had had me so preoccupied earlier. I shook my head to clear it. I had other things to think about.

Exiting the building, I caught sight of a familiar mop of messy hair a block and a half away. He was accompanied by a curly-haired woman, whom I believed to be Kunogi-san, if I remembered correctly. Of course, I didn't care as a moved towards them. It wasn't like I'd be interrupting anything, anyway. (Not that that would've stopped me, either.)

"Oi," I called out as I neared them, much faster than I'd anticipated. I slowed my pace considerably.

"My name isn't 'oi,' you big oaf!" Watanuki snapped, whipping his body around. I still wasn't sure how he could do that without getting whiplash. Most people, even world-class ice-skaters, wouldn't be able to accomplish that. At least not when on regular ground.

"You two seem like such good friends!" Kunogi-san exclaimed with a giggle.

"No! We're not!" Watanuki hissed in response. I could tell Kunogi-san was imagining him as a very angry cat. (Mainly because I had a very similar mental picture, though I saw an angry kitten more than a full grown cat.) I had a feeling we might get along alright, though she was rather more cheerful than I was used to.

Just as I thought this, she turned to face me, smiling brightly.

"I know we've met before, after the women's skating competition, but that time was rather hectic, so let's introduce ourselves once again. I'm Kunogi Himawari," she said. Somehow, I couldn't shake the idea of unnatural sparkles surrounding her as she spoke.

"Doumeki Shizuka. It's a pleasure to meet you," I said in what even I knew was a monotone. Kunogi-san didn't seem to mind much.

"Now that that's over with, I actually need to talk to you," Watanuki interjected irritably, "because Himawari-chan wanted to get to know you better (though I don't know why), and she wanted me to invite you to come to my place later for dinner."

I felt my eyebrow lift skeptically on its own. He really was an idiot.

"What time?"

For some reason, Watanuki found my usual tone annoying (of course), and saw fit to glare at me as he replied.

"Six-thirty."

I didn't respond immediately after this, instead falling silent, as though considering Watanuki's offer. Of course, I hadn't needed to think before I knew I was going to go, but I knew this would piss him off quite magnificently. In fact, I could already see the irritation growing on Watanuki's face as each second ticked by. A part of me had a feeling this was going to be well worth it.

"Well, are you going to come or what?" he snapped impatiently after a few minutes of silence.

"... Maybe."

Even after I returned home an hour later, my ears still rang from Watanuki's less-than-pleased reaction to my answer.

**x.X.x**

Though I had acted as though it was a hassle to even be invited, I arrived at Watanuki's doorstep a good ten minutes before the scheduled time. Watanuki, of course, seemed to find this rude, but wasted no time in letting me in, saying something about the neighbors and their opinions of his guests. I bit back a smirk at his excuse. I enjoyed annoying him, sure, but I wasn't stupid enough to anger him when he had easy access to sharp kitchen knives.

As I'd expected, Kunogi-san was already there, sitting on Watanuki's sofa, and staying pointedly clear of the kitchen where Watanuki was working. She smiled when she saw me.

"Ah, hello, Doumeki-san. I'm glad you could make it."

"Yo."

We lapsed into silence as I sat next to her. While it was not an uncomfortable silence, it wasn't exactly comfortable, either. After a few minutes, I spoke to her.

"You're avoiding the kitchen," I observed.

"Ah, you noticed. You see, I'm not much of a cook," she said with a smile. I sensed there was much more to the story, but I didn't pry. It wasn't any of my business. We lapsed into another brief silence.

"So, Doumeki-kun, are you an athlete?" she asked.

"Yeah. I practice archery."

"Oh! Then, you're the Doumeki-san who won the gold medal the last summer Olympics?"

"Yeah."

"That's great!"

"Dinner's ready now!" Watanuki called, interrupting our mildly awkward exchange. Again, Kunogi-san smiled at me.

"I don't know if you've ever had the chance to eat Watanuki-kun's cooking yet, Doumeki-san, but it's quite delicious," she said as we made our way to the nearby table.

"It's not that amazing," Watanuki replied with a blush, having overheard the girl's praise.

"Oh, but it is, Watanuki-kun!" she insisted as we sat down.

Admittedly, I hadn't entirely believed the woman's words at first. I didn't expect the food to be terrible, but I thought that, probably, it would be average. I was proved terribly wrong when I took the first bite, however. There were no words for the taste of Watanuki's cooking. It was, quite easily, the best food I'd ever had. I managed to keep myself from literally inhaling the food, btu it still wasn't long before I was reaching for seconds, and thirds.

Watanuki, clearly not understanding what my actions meant, proceeded to call me an ungrateful glutton, and did his best to (unsuccessfully) thwart my attempts to grab more food. Kunogi-san said nothing, but giggled at our antics. However, there was an understanding in her eyes that made me slightly uneasy, for some reason.

The rest of the evening passed much in the same way. Watanuki had yelled at me when I'd told him I wanted him to come live in my parents' shrine, and make all my meals. I don't think he realized I was serious. though I don't believe that would've changed his answer just yet. (Damn.)

By the time I left for home, I knew that I had some very strong feelings for Watanuki. Whether or not they were romantic, I wasn't certain, but there was definitely a connection between us. And I had long ago been taught the importance of these things by my grandfather, so I was not going to let it rest just yet. there was still much to learn about Watanuki.

And that night, I was bound to learn much more, because fate was not the only powerful player in this game.

It was the first night I dreamt of _her._

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

AN: First off, I'm sorry this is so super late. I had AP exams, then finals, and then writer's block. I'm sorry! ^^;

Secondly, I know the format is way different from the other chapters, but I found that this was the easiest way for me to churn this story out, and still like it. I do intend to get the earlier chapters rewritten into this format, but I didn't want to make you wait longer. Chapter 1 has been updated, though.

Anyway. I probably should be shot for that cliffy up there, because the next chapter won't be up for a while. See, I'm going on a trip in a couple days to Europe (I live in the US) and I'll be gone for about three weeks. With little to no internet access, and definitely not enough time to type up a chapter. So.. yeah. I really wanted to get this out before I left, though. While I'm gone, I'll work on this as much as I can, but I don't know how that will work out. So.. yeah. I'll be gone for about a month, but I'll try to get the next chapter (and the rewritten earlier chapters) up as soon as possible.

In the meantime, tell me what you thought of this chapter. I like to hear anything. And think of how happy I'll be when I come back to a bunch of emails from you guys. :D I promise, I'll do my best.


	10. Important

**AN:** **Please read me! This is important info right here!**

**IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT**

Okay. I'm assuming you all get the point now. xD Anyway. I need to tell you guys that I am so sorry about the lack of updates on this story since I left for Europe. There are a good number of reasons for this, but the most important ones would be that a0 I haven't had time, and b) I hate how the story is right now. I like my plot, but I hate how I've written it. I am very unsatisfied with the length and style of the chapters. And the pacing is just yuck.

So what does this mean? Well, before I continue with this story, I am going to rewrite everything I have. Yes, you read that right. I'm rewriting the whole thing. (EXCEPT maybe the prologue, because that's the only chapter I'm satisfied with at all.)

On the plus side, I have managed to acquire a beta, though we're both pretty busy people, so it'll still take a while for these chapters to be updated. I, for one, am taking for AP (college-level) classes, and 8 classes in a 7 period day. (Hooray, 0 period! x.x) And my beta, I know for a fact, is taking at least 1 AP class, herself. And on top of that, there's our non-internet lives keeping us busy. And I'm so tired most of the time that I don't have a whole lot of creativity left, even when I have time. So you guys will have to be patient, but I swear it'll be done.

Now, I'm not dropping this story entirely. I still want to write out this prompt, and I know that there are actually people out there who are reading this. But it will be on hiatus for quite a while. However, I am absolutely determined to finish this thing. I have had a couple stories I never finished in the past, but there's a difference between this one and those stories. People actually read this one, and it's not a bad plot. My previous ones were when I was like.. 13. And I couldn't write and they were awful Harry Potter fictions and I like to pretend they never existed. XD They were really that bad. Haha. Anyway. I swear, I will finish this, and not let it end up like those stories. I don't want anyone to be disappointed if I'm still able to finish it, but don't.

So.. yeah. I think that's about it. When I've finished the rewritten chapters, I will delete the old ones, including this one, and then just re-upload them. Hopefully, that should make them show up in your emails as being updated, but I guess you'll have to check back during the next couple months just in case? But it'll be a while yet. Haha.

In the meant time, if you're looking to read something, I would suggest anything from my favorites, or even the xxxHolic story "Glitter in the Air" by a-n-b. (Idk how to spell the first part of her penname, so I shortened it, lol.) But that story is good, and it is the kind of style I was trying to write this in. So yeah,. Go read it. And other stuff from my favorites. xD

And in the meantime, to keep this as not breaking the rules, I'll give you guys a snippet of SexAddict!Doumeki, like I mentioned a couple chapters back. This little drabble may be added at the end, if you guys like it enough. Hahaha. For now, though, enjoy!

Disclaimer: xxxHolic isn't mine, nor is _Blades of Glory_.

**x.X.x.X.x.X.x**

The first time it happened Watanuki was willing to let it go. It had only been a slight brush of contact, so he wasn't even sure it had been on purpose, even to this day. Even he didn't feel the need to make a huge scene of it.

The next time it happened, it made him uncomfortable, but he still didn't make a scene. But he was pretty sure that it was intentional that time, because that hand had rested for a good few seconds before moving away. It had been crowded though, so he decided to pretend it was a random stranger. (It happened enough, anyway.)

However, by now, the whole thing it was starting to get old. The hand was getting more daring, and Watanuki was not going to tolerate it anymore.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the Hand returned, and gave his ass a healthy squeeze.

Watanuki finally exploded.

"Okay, seriously, that is the millionth time you have groped me. Just what the hell is your problem, you asshole? I really should sue you for sexual harassment, you jerk!"

The object of his anger merely blinked, his blank expression deadpanning even more (if that was possible) as the man replied.

"I'm a sex addict," Doumeki Shizuka stated in the evenest of voices.

Watanuki screamed intelligibly and refused to talk to the archer for the rest of the day.


End file.
